Neslishah: The Last Ottoman Princess

Description

Twice a princess, twice exiled, Neslishah Sultan had an eventful life. When she was born in Istanbul in 1921, cannons were fired in the four corners of the Ottoman Empire, commemorative coins were issued in her name, and her birth was recorded in the official register of the palace. After all, she was an imperial princess and the granddaughter of Sultan Vahiddedin. But she was the last member of the imperial family to be accorded such honors: in 1922 Vahiddedin was deposed and exiled, replaced as caliph-but not as sultan-by his brother (and Neslishah's other grandfather) Abdulmecid; in 1924 Abdulmecid was also removed from office, and the entire imperial family, including three-year-old Neslishah, were sent into exile.
Sixteen years later on her marriage to Prince Abdel Moneim, the son of the last khedive of Egypt, she became a princess of the Egyptian royal family. And when in 1952 her husband was appointed regent for Egypt's infant king, she took her place at the peak of Egyptian society as the country's first lady, until the abolition of the monarchy the following year. Exile followed once more, this time from Egypt, after the royal couple faced charges of treason. Eventually Neslishah was allowed to return to the city of her birth, where she died at the age of 91 in 2012.
Based on original documents and extensive personal interviews, this account of one woman's extraordinary life is also the story of the end of two powerful dynasties thirty years apart.

About Author

Murat Bardakci is a Turkish journalist and historian. He is a columnist for Haberturk newspaper and is the author of several books on the Ottoman imperial family.

Contents

Contents Ottoman Titles Turkish Spelling and Pronunciation Neslishah's Family Tree Who's Who Preface Prologue Part One Turkey: A Cold Night in March 1: Waiting for O?uz Osman 2: Last Entry in the Register 3: The Muddy Roads of Catalca Part Two Europe: The Difficult Job of a Princess 4: Funeral of a Sultan 5: The Carpet under the Sacred Sculpture Part Three Egypt: A Bride in the Land of the Pharaohs 6: Forced Engagement, Consenting Marriage 7: Moonlit Nights and Nights of Fear Part Four Turkey: Was the Caliph Muslim? 8: The Duke of Windsor's Can-Can 9: All That Is Beautiful Has Been Built by My Grandfathers Epilogue Notes Index